Manchester continues to lead the way in global investment

Manchester has confirmed its place as a leading international business destination after performing highly in IBM’s Global Locations Trends 2015 (GLT) report.

Manchester was ranked 23 in the world for investment and high value job creation, above New York, Beijing, Berlin and Toronto. Manchester is the only UK city in the top 30 outside London.

The report also reveals that Manchester received a substantial increase in investment compared to the previous year, highlighting the growing appeal of the city to international investors.

IBM claims that a high performance in the GLT report is evidence of a flexible and creative city, home to international companies with the ability to adapt to a rapidly evolving landscape.

It states: ‘The smarter manufacturing movement also known as Industry 4.0, will radically transform the global manufacturing landscape.’

‘These developments will usher in new opportunities for companies to operate complex networks of production, distribution and sales across multiple geographic locations, leveraging the power of data to drive value creation.’

‘This transformation of industries will have significant ramifications for labour markets and corporate skills requirements, and public-sector leaders must improve alignment between supply and demand of skills and prioritize efforts to foster educational programs that better serve the skills requirements of industries.’

In terms of job creation, Manchester features in the top 40 globally with a large number of businesses creating high value jobs in the area.

In this ranking, Manchester placed in 37 position, above New York, Singapore and Chicago, and just behind London and Tokyo.

Not only good news for Mancunian businesses, this data also reflects the high quality of workers coming to the city to begin their careers.

Such a strong performance in the GLT report is solid evidence of Manchester’s ability to compete for investment on a truly global scale, bringing international businesses to the region, creating jobs and leading the way in competitive industries.